Brink of Death

Kenshin woke to feel the woman he secretly loved stir in his arms. He looked down to see her staring up at him. He smiled warmly at her and she graced him with a small smile in return. He laid her back on her futon. "I'm going to get Miss Megumi to change your bandages while I cook breakfast alright Kaoru?" he asked. She nodded up at him. When he had left she thought back to the events of the past two days. The man who had killed her family had come after her and the men that had attacked her before he came were most likely part of his plan. 'He must have thought that he could weaken Kenshin and then come after me.' Kaoru thought to herself. Megumi came in and changed her bandages.

The day went by uneventfully and they had a good time. Kaoru complained about having to stay in bed. Kenshin decided that they should move the futon outside for a while. Kaoru immediately brightened at the idea. She watched as her student did his sword strokes for the rude comments he had yelled at her. She yelled at him every chance she got about his posture or about how to swing the bokken better. He ended up getting five hundred strokes for calling her buso. Kenshin toke her and her futon back to her room telling her that she need to rest before dinner. She agreed reluctantly and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Dream

She was being pushed into the closet into the little room they kept for emergencies. She watched as her mother told her to stay in here no matter what could or would happen. She gave her small daughter a hug then she closed the door and headed towards where her husband was. She knew that her husband had killed, but she knew that he had not enjoyed what he had done. He had woken up many nights crying over what he had done. Now they had to face the son of the ones he had killed. He knew that his wife should be hiding, but she refused to do as he said. She had told him plainly that she would die by his side if need be and so the battle began; she took up her bokken and he his sword. They fought hard and long, but in the end had died by the sons hands. He searched the entire house trying to find their daughter, but to no avail. He cursed loudly, saying that he would be back and would kill her as well.

She stayed in that room for hours until she could no longer be in there. She ran out and right when she did she felt something slice across her back. She screamed in pain and fell. She heard laughter from behind her and knew that the man had stayed hidden in the shadows for hours not moving an inch. She felt the blood flow from her body and felt herself grow colder. She felt him leave and she reluctantly pushed herself up and headed out the front of the door. She cried out when she saw her parents bodies laying in their own blood. She saw that her mother had crawled to her father and grabbed his hand. She knew that they were both dead. She went to them and kissed them each on the head. She headed as fast as she could towards the town trying to get to Doctor Gensai. She made it as far as the town center before she collapsed. Fortunately there were people around and they rushed to her for they knew her father and mother. They were well respected in the community. She was rushed to Doctor Gensai's clinic. She was saved and he took care of her afterwards. She was plagued by dreams of her mother and fathers last scream and the picture of their bodies would haunt her forever.

Reality

She woke up screaming. She calmed herself right before Kenshin and the other rushed into her room. They flooded her with questions and she tried her best to answer them. The scar on her back was burning painfully. Miss Megumi saw her discomfort and ushered everyone out. She closed the shoji doors, leaving only a tiny little crack. Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko peered through it careful not to make a sound.

"What is bothering you Kaoru?" Megumi asked her. She looked at Miss Megumi and sighed.

"I have a scar on my back that Doctor Gensai treated many years ago when that man first came to my home. He murdered my family, then waited for me to come out of hiding. When I did, he attacked, slashing me across my back. I waited until he was gone for sure before I got up and left. I went into town by myself and made it as far as the town center before I collapsed. People that had cared about my family and myself rushed me to Doctor Gensai's clinic. Everything after that is a blur. I don't really remember how long I was in his clinic under his care. I know that when I finally went home everything was the same way as it had been before he had come to destroy my life. Now my scar is bothering me; it feels like it's burning." Kaoru finished. Megumi was surprised, but quickly covered it with a neutral look.

"Can I see the scar?" Megumi asked. Kaoru nodded and turned her back towards her. She slowly let her Kimono slip off of her shoulders. Megumi gasped softly as she saw how long the scar was. It ran from her right shoulder, diagonally, to her left side almost to the top of her left butt cheek.

Kenshin felt anger rise within him, but looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sano looked down on him and let his anger be known to Kenshin as well. Kenshin smiled at Sano, then looked down at Yahiko. The little boys fists were clinched in anger by his sides. Kenshin rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder and they left the women alone.

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Read and review please. And I'm sorry it took so long to update. I just got my computer to work again not too long ago. Oh...Sorry it's so short...I promise to make the chapters longer if you keep reviewing...Bye